The Legacy
by yasha012
Summary: In the final century of the Feudal Era, there was a great war. Virtually all of the world's demons were killed. The few that survived mysteriously vanished. Kagome goes on a cruise and soon finds herself lost at sea. A huge storm hits, and she loses consciousness. She wakes up in the most unexpected place in the world... "Kagome, is that really you?" Possible Sessh/Kag
1. The Forgotten War

**A/N READ! IMPORTANT. Sesshomaru's personality is a bit different from the show. Also, he only carries Bakusaiga, has both his arms, has NO markings at all, and doesn't have the yellow sash or the fur thing. Also, Rin, Jaken, And Ah-Un don't exist. Lastly, Kagome was unable to return to the Feudal Era after destroying the jewel. The people of the modern era know that demons exist.**

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. She'd had no idea… She never knew it was real, that it had actually happened. She'd always thought… She'd always thought that they were just stories… That it was just a legend. Just a legend, nothing more. But now… Now she knew. She hadn't been there long enough to see it for herself. But Inuyasha… Her friends… Were they part of it? Had they fought? She just hoped they were still alive… All of them. She couldn't stand the thought of any of them losing their lives.

She opened her textbook again and flipped to the chapter they'd just read in class earlier that day at her college. She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to relax, and began to read again.

_In the last few centuries of the Feudal Era, a powerful new race of humanoid beings appeared. At first, these beings were mistaken to be demons. The demons, however, were suspicious. Many of them were untrusting of these strangers, and rejected every offer of friend ship. For years, there remained an icy distrust of these beings._

_One day, the beings revealed themselves as a race know as the Okugi_ (A/N Pronounced OH-KOO-GEE). _They also revealed some of their more evil practices, such as capturing and killing anyone they deemed too weak. They began hunting children and elderly, as well as those who had fallen ill. This enraged both the demons and the humans. For the first time in history, the two races came together to find a solution. They came up with many, but nothing stopped the killings._

_Soon, the Okugi gained an even worse reputation among the demons. The Okugi declared themselves a superior race, claiming that the demons were far too weak to be allowed to live in what they know claimed was their world. After that declaration, tensions increased greatly for years. The demons and the Okugi fought over many things. Food, water, shelter, land, power, life._

_Finally, war broke out between the two races. The reason for this is unknown. The war lasted for exactly one hundred years. About halfway through the war, the humans joined the fight on the side of the demons. They withdrew just two years later, being unable to handle the extreme fighting between the demons and the Okugi. For the longest time, the demons were losing the war. But one day, the demons gained a new leader. This leader's name was lost to history. This great leader managed to bring the many demon races together as one unified force. Together, they were able to defeat the Okugi._

_After the war was over, the demons disappeared. While many think they all died, there are some who still believe that they are alive and well, hidden away in some sanctuary where they will never again suffer as they did during the war._

Kagome closed her book and stared off into the sky. She didn't know what to think, what to do. The war was real… She had so many unanswered questions, so many things that she felt she needed to learn in order to understand all of this. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. Maybe she could ask her grandfather! He was bound to know something, even if it was trivial. With that in mind, she took off toward home.

* * *

_'Of course he didn't know anything.' _Kagome thought sourly as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. _'Maybe I can find a book with more information…'_

She sighed.

_'Yeah… Like _that_ will happen.'_

She dug around in her bag and pulled out her key. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside. When she got inside, she closed the door, kicked her shoes off, set her bag down, and got on her computer. She spent several hours searching for more information. But unfortunately, she found nothing. With a tired sigh, she shut her computer down and went to bed.


	2. The Lonely Cruise

Kagome woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing. She quickly sat up and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked sleepily.

"Kagome!" Her friend Eri asked excitedly. "You'd better not be sleeping!"

"Well I _was_." Kagome replied.

"Well get up! We have to be there in an hour!" Eri said.

"Where?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"The cruise!" Eri exclaimed. "For your birthday!"

Kagome gasped.

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot!" She exclaimed.

"Obviously!" Eri replied. "Hurry up and get ready! I'll meet you at the dock!"

"Right!" She said.

She got out of bed and quickly got dressed. She grabbed her suitcase and began to pack. She packed a week's worth of clothes, her music player, her laptop, her book with the legend that she'd found the day before, an unused journal, and a small first aid kit just in case. When she was finished packing, she went outside, got on a bus, and headed for the dock. When she finally got there, she got off the bus and reached into her pocket for her phone so she could call Eri and let her know she was there.

_'Oh-no! I forgot my phone!'_ She thought when she realized her pocket was empty.

_'Well it's too late for me to go back and get it now.'_ She thought with a sigh. _'I'll just have to try to find her.'_

She searched for a few minutes and was startled when she heard someone calling her name. She spun around and searched the crowds, trying to locate the person who'd called her. She smiled when she saw who it was.

"Eri!" She exclaimed.

"Hey Kagome!" Eri said when she finally caught up. "You ready for the best cruise of your life?"

Kagome smiled even wider.

"Of course I am!" She said. "This is going to be awesome!"

"You bet it is!" Eri replied. "Come on, let's go shoe them our tickets so we can get on!"

They walked over to some decorated officials and Kagome gave them her ticket. She walked through, but was quickly stopped by Eri's voice.

"Uh… Kagome?" She said nervously.

Kagome turned around.

"What?" She asked.

"I… kinda lost my ticket." Eri said, sweat dropping nervously.

"You _what_?!" Kagome asked in shock.

Eri laughed nervously. After much debate, Eri finally managed to convince Kagome to just go anyway. She really hadn't wanted too, but Eri had a point. Her mom _did_ pay a lot of money for her ticket… Reluctantly, she left her friend behind and climbed on board the ship. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

_'This is going to be the longest week of my life.'_


	3. Sinking

Two days of nothingness and boredom passed, and Kagome was _seriously_ beginning to regret getting on this ship. There was nothing of interest for her to do besides sitting in her room. And honestly, that wasn't very interesting. She would have gone swimming, but in her haste, she'd forgotten to pack her bathing suit. So there went _that_ option. The only reason she would _ever _play in the arcade was if Sota was there and needed to be entertained for a while. Sitting outside in the sun was nice and all, but it was very hot. She didn't want to get sunburned, and it got very boring after a while. There were shops on the ships, but they were all selling clothes, purses, wallets, and other practical, _boring_ things that she didn't want or need. The only thing left to do was try to entertain herself in her room. She tried watching T.V., but it was all in Spanish. Apparently, the people who had stayed there before spoke Spanish and had requested to have the languages switched on the television. Kagome tried to do the same, but so far, nothing had changed. So instead, she spent her time reading and rereading her book, listening to music, and playing games on her computer. She couldn't do much else, since she didn't have any Internet. By the end of the third night, she felt like she was losing her mind. She once again glanced at the clock. It was only midnight. She felt like ripping her hair out.

_'I swear, if something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to go mad.'_

Just then, there was a loud, thunderous _boom_. The whole floor shook violently, maybe even the whole ship. A few seconds later, alarms began to go off. In a panic, she grabbed her backpack (which she'd also packed for the trip), stuffed a few things into it, and ran all the way to the main upper deck. Rain was pouring down onto the deck, and thunder boomed in the distance. A voice called over the intercoms throughout the ship.

_"Everyone to the lifeboats! The ship's hit something! We're sinking fast!"_ The voice yelled loudly. _"This is not a drill! I repeat, this is NOT a drill!"_

Kagome made a mad dash to the nearest lifeboat. She grabbed a life jacket and jumped into the boat. She was the only one on this particular boat so far. Before anyone else had a chance to board it, lighting struck the supports holding the boat in the air. With a terrified scream, Kagome plummeted down toward the darkness.

**A/N Sorry this one is so short you guys. I'm definitely going to try to make the next one longer. It may or may not be uploaded today.**


	4. Storming Seas

Kagome woke up in darkness. For a moment, she didn't know where she was. Then everything came flooding back to her. As soon as she remembered, she sat straight up. She glanced around frantically, hoping, _praying_ she wasn't alone. She felt like crying when she realized she was.

_'Why does this kind of thing always happen to me…?'_ She thought sadly.

She looked up at the sky. The moon was beginning to show through the dark clouds, and she hoped that meant the storm was over. With the added visibility, she was able to see around her little boat a bit farther than before. She searched in vain for the ship, or even more lifeboats, but found nothing. There was nothing but ocean around her.

_'How long was I out…? It must have been a few hours… Maybe longer…'_

Forcing herself to stay calm, she put her life jacket on (regardless of the fact that it was deflated) and checked to see what all was on the boat with her. There wasn't much. There was a first aid kit (one completely identical to the ones on all of the other life boats), a rain jacket, and her backpack. She opened it up and was relieved when she realized she hadn't lost anything. Her book, sweater, and journal were all still inside. She grabbed the first aid kit and put it inside with everything else. She then grabbed the jacket and put it on.

_'Now what? ...Water. I have to find a way to get water. But wait… It's night out… Plus I don't have any kind of a container. Maybe the first aid box will work…'_

She sighed softly.

_'It'll have to wait until morning though... And what do I do about food? This is bad…'_

After what felt like years, she began to see light. At first, she thought it was the sun coming up. Her eyes widened in fear when she realized what it _really_ was. It was a huge lightning storm that appeared to be miles wide. She shielded her eyes against the bright light, immediately wondering if it was possible for lighting to make someone go blind. Just like that, the earlier storm kicked back up. She put her backpack on, fearful of losing it, and clutched the side of the boat. Rain poured down on all sides. Thunder roared. Lighting continued to light up the sky.

Before long, a giant wave caught her pitiful little boat. She screamed in terror as she lost her grip on the boat and went flying through the air. Seconds later, she was underwater. She chocked on the water as she instinctively tried to breathe. She clawed at the water trying desperately to reach the surface. She gasped for air when she finally reached the surface. She coughed, still struggling to breathe as wave after wave crashed over her. Another giant wave appeared and carried her into the air before slamming her back down below the surface. She surfaced again after a few frantic moments, only to be carried into the air once more.

She could see her boat. She reached out for it, desperately hoping that she could reach it. She screamed when the boat was flung into the air right above her. It came crashing down on top of her, and everything went black.


	5. The Last Sanctuary

_"Will she be alright?"_

_"Of course she will. She's been through worse..."_

_"Don't worry about her. She tough. She can survive this."_

_"Please... Please okay..."_

_"She will. I know she will."_

* * *

When Kagome woke up, her vision was blurry. She looked around slowly, trying to make out the blurry shapes around her. It was so bright... But why? Was it morning? Where was she? A blurry, orange-ish shape moved a bit closer to her just as her vision began to clear.

"Kagome?" A voice asked.

Kagome sat straight up and quickly scooted backward, away from the stranger in front of her.

"W-who are you?" She stammered. "How do you know my name?"

"It's me, Kagome!" They said, their eyes wide with hope.

She looked at them closley for a moment, studying their features. Long orange hair kept up in a ponytail, green eyes, a fluffy tail... Her eyes widened in shock.

"Shippo...?" She asked quietly, hardly daring to believe it.

He nodded, smiling widely.

"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I was worried there for a second." He said with a grin when they finally pulled apart.

She smiled back at him before looking around.

"Where are we?" She asked. "What is this place?"

He grinned even wider.

"This is The Last Sanctuary." He said.

Her eyes widened.

"Welocme to Tanzania."

**A/N Sorry it's so short! Also, is Tanzania a good name? I need opinions. If not, I'll change it.**


	6. More Reunions and a Tour

Shippo led the way out of the small one room house she'd been resting in. He was going to show her around. She had barely taken two steps outside before a voice called her name. She turned in the direction of the voice and immediately recognized the person running toward her.

"Inuyasha!" She called excitedly.

She also started running toward him, and they met halfway. A split second later, she was enveloped in his arms as they shared a joyous hug.

"I'm so happy to see you..." He murmered into her hair.

She smiled.

"I missed you too, Inuyasha..."

When they finally pulled apart, Kagome was startled by a third voice.

"Hey, she's awake!" The voice said.

She turned around and was shocked to see Karan, the fiery youngest sister of the Panther Devas. Normally, she was hot tempered and hostile, but right now, she seemed completely friendly. It was so strange... Then she remembered a passage from the legend she'd read.

_One day, the demons gained a new leader. This leader's name was lost to history. This great leader managed to bring the many demon races together as one unified force..._

_'They all united against a common enemy. They're all allies now...'_

"How long was I out?" Kagome asked, looking at the three of them.

"About three days." Karan said. "You nearly drowned."

"How did I end up here?" Kagome asked.

"You washed up on one of the southern beaches." Shippo replied. "Kirara found you."

"Kirara's here too?" She asked happily.

Shippo nodded with a smile.

"Of course! She's our friend too, you know." He said.

"She helps lots of people out around here." Karan said. "Keeps the kids busy, mostly."

"I have another question." Kagome said. "How did I end up here at this island? I thought this place was sealed away far beyond the reach of any other beings but demons."

"It is." Inuyasha said.

"Then how...?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, you're no ordinary person. You're the most powerful Miko that's ever lived, and also a friend to many demons. The barrier had no reason to reject you." Inuyasha said.

"So that lighting storm...?" She began.

He nodded.

"Was the barrier." He finished for her.

"That sure seemed like rejection to me." She muttered.

Shippo shook his head.

"It's a powerful barrier that took nearly two-hundred years to perfect." He said. "You can't smiply just pass through it."

"Two hundred years?" Kagome asked in disbelief. "But I thought the war was only a century ago!"

"It was." Inuyasha said. "But the Okugi were here longer than that. They appeared only a few decades after the well closed on you."

"So they were here for about three hundred years before the war started." Karan finished.

"How is such a powerful barrier even possible?" Kagome asked.

"You'll have to ask the one that made it." Shippo said. "But first, it's time for that tour!"

Without even giving anyone the chance to argue, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away. Kagome was a willing captive, however. She was _really_ curious about this place. She wanted to see _everything_. The island was huge, nearly the size of Japan itself. According to Shippo, it lay directly in the center of Pacific Ocean on Japan's side. There were no modern cities, no modern conviniences, nothing. The demons here were content to live Feudal Era style lives, and she rather liked that. There were many villages all over, each with their own names, leader, and everything. Some villages only had demons of a certain race living there, but visitors were always welcome. There were no "small fry" demons anymore. Only the more powerful demon races were still around. There were many fox demons, cat demons, a few dragons, and many more. Kagome was shocked by what she heard next. Durning the war, there was a huge genocide. The largest genocide ever to have occurred The Okugi had wiped out virtually all the dog demons. Except two. There was Inuyasha, of course, but Shippo wouldn't say who the other was.

"You'll see." He promised.

While they were walking, he continued to talk.

"I can't show you everything obviously, since this place is so huge, but I can show you around this particular village." He said.

"Okay." She agreed.

"This is known as Sunshine Village. It's called that because of how beautiful the sunset looks here." He told her.

"Wow..." She breathed. "I can't wait to see it!"

He smiled.

"You will, but first..."

Without any warning, he changed directions. He led her over to a nice little home near the center of the village.

"Mom, this is my home." He said.

It warmed her heart when he called her 'mom', and she couldn't help but smile. She looked at him and saw that he was watching her, his eyes practically begging for approval. She smiled even wider at him.

"This is a very nice house, Shippo." She said warmly.

He smiled and led the way inside.

**A/N I promise I'll get into more detail on the genocide and stuff like that later, okay? In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	7. The Leader

First impression: much nicer the the Fuedal Era houses she was used to seeing. The floor was carpeted, the wall was painted... Apparently she'd been wrong. There _were_ modern conveniences here. Shippo had a stove and a refrigerator in his kitchen, an actual bed, a couch, and more. Of course, there were also some rather low-tech things, too. There was fireplace, for example. She smiled at him.

"This is really nice, Shippo!" She said. "Much better than the houses back in the Fuedal Era."

"I think so too, but Inuyasha says all the carpet muffles his hearing or something stupid like that." Shippo said with a grin.

She could immediately tell by the mischievious sparkle in his eyes that he'd done something.

"What did you do?" She asked with a grin.

"I put this special barrier around him that made it so he couldn't hear anything outside of it." Shippo said. "He had no idea it was there."

"What did he do?" She asked.

"He freaked out. He thought he was going deaf or something." He said with a laugh.

She laughed a little too and they walked outside.

"Hey, do you want to meet the village leader?" Shippo asked.

"Sure!" Kagome said excitedly.

She couldn't wait to meet this person. They were probably really nice, if Shippo was here. He continued to smile as he grabbed her hand and led her to a house on top of a grassy green hill. There was large stone steps carved into one side of the hill, but he ignored them. Instead, the trudged up the side of the hill in much the same way that they would have back in the Fuedal Era. He seemed to prefer feeling the soft grass under his feet rather than the hard stone, and she couldn't really blame him. She prefered the grass too. When they got to the hut, he motioned for her to wait outside for a moment. He walked inside.

"Hey! It's Shippo! There's someone here who wants to meet you!" She heard him call from the doorway.

A moment later, he walked back outside. She was shocked when she saw who followed him out.

"K-Kagura?!" She exlaimed in shock.

"Kagome?" Kagura asked in equal shock. "No way!"

"Oh my gosh! Kagura! _You're_ the leader?! But how? I thought you were-" Kagome said excitedly.

Kagura nodded with a smile.

"I was dead, yes. But your friend here found a way to revive me. I helped fight in the war."

"How did he revive you?" Kagome asked.

"_That_ is a little fox demon secret." Shippo said with a grin.

Kagome pouted momentarily, but quickly got over it. Instead, she turned her attention back to Kagura.

"I'm so glad you're okay. And you're finally free..." She murmured.

"Me too." Kagura said, smiling warmly.

They talked for a few more minutes before they finally had to say goodbye. Kagura had some work to do, and Shippo was eager to continue the tour. They shared a quick, friendly hug before going their seperate ways.


	8. Two Survivors

"So what now?" Kagome asked as they continued walking throughout the village.

"Um... I don't know." Shippo replied. "Maybe you could go hang out with Inuyasha for a while!"

"Sure! That sounds like fun!" Kagome said with a smile.

He grinned at her before taking her hand and leading her over to where Inuyasha was. Inuyasha was chasing around a child for some reason, much like he used to do to Shippo.

"Get back here you little brat!" He shouted, making a dive for the child.

Instead of catching her, he ended up face-planting in the dirt. Shippo laughed out loud and Kagome almost wished she could "sit" Inuyasha still.

"That's Mari." Shippo said.

"What kind of demon is she?"

"She's actually a half-demon, like Inuyasha." Shippo said. "Here, non purebred demons are accepted without a second thought.

"That's wonderful." Kagome said with a smile.

"To answer your earlier question, I don't know what kind of demon she is." Shippo said. "I think she's part bat demon like Shiori."

"That girl who had that crystal that gave Inuyasha the red Tetsusaiga?" Kagome asked.

Shippo nodded.

"But the poor Girl's an orphan." Shippo said sadly. "Her father disappeared a few months before she was born, and her mother died giving birth to her."

"That's awful..." Kagome murmured.

"Yeah..." Shippo agreed. "But... I think it's okay. Everyone in the village helps take care of her, and she even has an adoptive mother."

"Really?" Kagome asked. "Who?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Shippo said, holding his hand out to her once again.

She smiled, taking his hand, and allowed herself to be lead to yet another new location. He took her to a new part of the village, a part she hadn't seen yet. He walked over to a house and knocked loudly on the door.

"It's Shippo!" He called.

The door opened and Kagome's eyes widened.

"Ayame!" She exclaimed happily.

Ayame gasped.

"Kagome?! Is that really you?!" She asked, hardly able to believe it.

Kagome nodded, a smile seemingly permanently plastered on her face. Ayame squealed and they shared a friendly hug. After a few moments, they pulled apart and went inside. They went straight to her living room. Ayame sat on a beautiful recliner while Kagome and Shippo sat down on the couch.

"Wow. This is a nice house." Kagome said somewhat enviously. "I wish my apartment was this nice."

"Actually, this is a guest house." Ayame said. "I don't own it."

"You don't?" Kagome asked in surprise.

Ayame shook her head.

"I actually live up in the mountains with Koga and the rest of the wolf demons." Ayame explained. "I love coming down here to visit though, she we come down here often."

"Say, where _is_ Koga?" Kagome asked.

"He's out hunting or something with Hakkaku and Ginta." She said. "Those three are almost inseparable."

"Yeah, they always were." Kagome agreed.

After a few minutes of idle chitchat, Kagome and Shippo said their goodbyes. They headed out and once again went to Inuyasha. Kagome said goodbye to Shippo, gave him a quick hug, and ran over to Inuyasha. He was standing on the very top of a lush, grassy hill. His eyes were on the sky. When she got to him, he spoke.

"Do you want to see the sunset?" He asked, never taking his eyes off of the sky.

She nodded eagerly.

"You'll have to wait a few minutes, then." He said. "But it's worth it."

"I'm sure it is." She said.

A few minutes later, the sun finally began to set. Kagome's eyes brightened and she couldn't suppress a gasp. She turned to him, smiling widely.

"It's beautiful..." She murmured.

He smirked a little and nodded. They sat there for endless minutes. simply watching the sunset. When it finally began to get dark, Inuyasha took her over to his little house. She really wasn't surprised that Kirara was there. She _was_ surprised however when she felt a familiar prick on her neck. She slapped the spot and pulled her hand away, revealing a now completely squashed and flattened Myoga resting in the palm of her hand.

"Ouch..." He muttered.

She giggled.

"If you don't want to get squished, you should stop biting me." She said.

"Fat chance of that." Inuyasha said, sitting down on the couch.

Kirara immediately jumped into his lap and Kagome sat down next to them. Myoga jumped down from her hand and landed on her knee where both Inuyasha and Kagome could see him. After saying hello and catching up a little, Kagome spoke up about something that had been bugging her.

"Hey guys, can I ask a question?" She asked.

"You just did." Inuyasha joked, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

"You know that's not what I meant." She said, glaring playfully at him.

He smirked, but said nothing.

"What's the question?" Myoga asked.

"Well, while Shippo was taking me around on that tour he told me about that girl named Mari." Kagome said. "She's a half demon _child_. How is that possible if only demons live here?"

"Not all of the demons in the world were able to get here before the barrier closed." Myoga explained. "A few remained in the normal world. We've managed to bring many of their descendants here since then. She's one of them."

"Oh..." Kagome murmured in understanding.

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"I actually have one other question." She said.

"Shoot." Inuyasha said.

"Also during the tour, Shippo mentioned a huge genocide that happened during the war. The one that wiped out virtually all of the world's dog demons." She said quietly. "Can you tell me about that?"

Both Myoga and Inuyasha became quiet for several moments before Myoga finally spoke.

"The Okugi were vicious. They were monsters... The wanted to conquer the entire world, and they saw the demons as the only obstacle preventing them from doing so. They saw dog demons in particular as the biggest threat of them all." He said.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Dog demons are the strongest, most intelligent demon race out of all of them. They're also the most adaptive and have the best senses." Myoga explained.

"Oh." Kagome said.

"The Okugi wanted to wipe them out first, to eliminate the strongest players in their game as quickly as possible." Myoga said. "The first attack happened late in the night during a particularly harsh winter. They went straight to many of the northern dog demon settlements and attacked women, children, and the old in their homes. Because the war was going on, they weren't many soldiers to protect them. The women could fight of course, but the were so many enemies..."

His voice trailed of for a moment.

"They were all slaughtered." He said. "Every last one of them."

Kagome's eyes widened in horror as his words slowly sank in. Myoga continued quietly.

"When news of this reached the rest of the dog demons, many civilians began to panic. They packed their things and ran into the wilderness, hoping to escape the massacre. The Okugi hunted them down and killed them all one by one. No one was safe. The okugi soon headed east and destroyed the three major villages that were there, killing everyone as they did so. When those villages were gone, they attacked all of the smaller villages and killed everyone there as well. The wiped out eveyone in east before heading to the south. There were many dog demon villages in the far south, many of them right on the beaches. The water was stained red with their blood..."

His eyes were dark as he continued to recall the horrible memories of those days. Kagome felt horrible. She's never heard of such a vicious, bloody genocide before. It was so horrible... Myoga continued.

"It took several months for them to wipe out the south. By the time they were done, the genocide had been going on for nearly a full year. It was difficult for them to reach the west. The west had the largest population of dog demons. Many of them were considered wild, since they didn't live in villages or castle towns. Because they were wild, even the children knew how to fight. This made it very difficult for the Okugi to destroy them. But not everyone was killed."

Kagome immediately looked at Inuyasha.

"You were there?" She asked quietly.

He nodded.

"Yeah... And honestly, I don't think I'd be _here_ right now if someone hadn't saved my butt back then." He said.

"Someone saved you?" She asked.

He nodded again.

"Who?" She asked.

"Believe it or not, it was actually Koga and his buddies. He'd apparently joined the war and was helping to try to stop the genocide." He said.

Myoga piped up again.

"Many of the allied demon races tried and failed to stop the genocide. It wasn't until the west was completely wiped out that it finally stopped. Inuyasha was forced to go into hiding for a while so he could recover from his wounds, and the Okugi had no idea he was even around until it was too late." He said.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"When the demons were finally fully united by one single leader, many demons who had been forced into hiding, including Inuyasha, were able to fight once more. Once that leader took charge, next to no one on our side died." Myoga said.

Kagome was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Wait, Shippo said that there were _two_ survivors of the massacre." She said. "Inuyasha's one, but who's the other?"

Myoga looked up at her, and their gazes met.

"Sesshomaru."


	9. That Beautiful Place

**A/N READ! IMPORTANT! Something I forgot to mention in the first chapter: while they didn't always get along, in this story Sesshomaru and Inuyasha never tried to kill each other and have never fought over Tetsusaiga. Also, there was never anything like the Lord of the West in the Feudal Era, and Sesshomaru didn't live in a castle or anything like that. **

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked in surprise.

She felt bad all of a sudden, guilty for completely forgetting that he'd ever even existed. She'd never told anyone, but she'd always considered him a friend, an ally. Though he didn't always get along with his brother, she knew that Inuyasha felt somewhat the same. Myoga nodded in response to her question.

"Does he live here in the sanctuary?" She asked.

"Yeah." Inuyasha said. "But he doesn't live near here."

"Oh." She said. "Where _does_ he live?"

"He lives in a valley in the middle of a mountain range. The mountains surround it on all sides, forming a near perfect circle. There's a crystal clear lake there, many different blossoming trees and flowers that glow in the moonlight... It truly is a beautiful place." Myoga replied.

"You've been there?" She asked.

"Yes, but only once. It was soon after the barrier had been sealed shut right after the war had ended." He replied.

"Does he live alone?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, no one else can handle that area." Inuyasha said.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"There are some monsterous creatures in those mountains. No one knows what they are or where they came from." Myoga said. "Those mountains seem to be the only place in danger of them."

Kagome didn't reply at first. She was deep in thought for a moment, trying to picture that wonderful place surrounded with danger that Myoga had described. In the end, she gave up. Nothing her mind conjured up was even remotely as beautiful as what Myoga had described. Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she turned to Inuyasha.

"Can we visit him?" She asked hopefully.

Inuyasha hesitated, but then seemed to think for a moment. He sighed finally and replied to her.

"I guess, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow." He said. "It's dark out."

With a smile, she nodded her agreement.

"Okay."

When they finally went to bed, Kagome went to sleep almost immediately, her heart filled with excitement about what tomorrow would bring.


	10. The Journey Begins

_"The barrier closed. Everyone's safe."_

_"Yeah... I know."_

_"You should rest."_

_"No... Not yet."_

_"You're exhausted. Putting that barrier up used more power than you have. You need to rest now."_

_"Not yet... There's still something I need to do..."_

* * *

"Say, Inuyasha? What happened to my backpack?"

"It was ruined. Shippo got rid of it."

"Oh."

Kagome stood there for a moment, thinking about how much she was going to miss that backpack. It had been through so many adventures with her... She shook her head lightly pulling herself out of her thoughts.

"How long will it take to get there?" She asked.

"Not long." Inuyasha replied. "A few days, maybe."

"Oh. Do you have a bag or something I can use to carry supplies and stuff?"

"No, but you won't need one. We'll be going through plenty of villages on the way, and I could always catch fish for you or something. Plus there's fresh water in the rivers and stuff."

"Alright, that sounds good to me."

Inuyasha quickly finished whatever it was he was doing and turned to her.

"What were you doing?" She asked.

"Polishing Tetsusaiga. We may need it in the mountains." He replied.

"Oh." She said in understanding.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

She nodded and climbed on his back, just like she used to. Seconds later, they were off. Inuyasha was a bit faster than he had been before, back in the Feudal Era. She couldn't help but wonder just how much stronger he was as well. True to Inuyasha's word, they passed through and by many villages. There were many different demons in each one, and she was surprised at just how many of the species were previously unknown to her. There were also many demons in the wilderness as well. While they were going through a beautiful golden meadow, they passed a herd of flaming horses, many of whcih greatly resembled the evil horse Entei that Hakudoshi had used so long ago. She couldn't help but wonder if they were related. Inuyasha ran well into the night before finally stopping in a small village. They rented a room from a hotel-like building and Kagome soon went to sleep with Inuyasha sitting vigil at the window.


	11. Arrival

Not long after Kagome woke up the next morning, they had breakfast and took off again. They ran for several hours before Inuyasha finally stopped.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked. "Are we here?"

"Almost." He said. "I just figured you'd probably want some water before we go up the mountains. There's no water up there."

"Okay." She agreed.

She climbed off his back and they walked to the stream together.

"So we're close?" She asked as she filled up a water bottle she'd taken for the trip.

He nodded.

"Yeah. We've made better time than I thought we would." He said. "So long as we don't run into any of those creatures, I think we'll make it there by sometime tonight."

Kagome could barely contain her excitement.

"Awesome!" She said. "Let's get going!"

Inuyasha picked her up again and they took off once more. It didn't take long before they could see the mountains. They didn't look as dark and imposing as she'd pictured them. They were actually beautiful. But they were so huge...

_'No wonder Inuyasha doesn't think we'll get there until tonight.'_

Without any hesitation, Inuyasha began the climb.

* * *

They were very lucky. They'd sensed several of the monsters on their way to the valley, but they'd managed to avoid them all. They were lucky. Very lucky. They made it into the valley, and Kagome was amazed at how beautiful it was. Myoga's earlier description of the valley didn't do it any justice whatsoever. She looked around and soon realized that she couldn't even see the other side of the valley. She'd thought it would be smaller... Inuyasha continued to run for nearly another hour before they finally reached the lake. By the lake was a beautiful building. It almost looked like a castle. It's pure white walls seemed to glow in the moonlight. It was breathtaking.

"He's in there?" She asked quietly.

Inuyasha nodded and headed to the main entrance. Her breath caught in her throat. This was it. She was finally going to see him after so long...


	12. It's Not Over Yet

Sesshomaru opened his eyes slightly when he caught his brother's scent. What was _he_ doing here? The last time he'd come here was... He pushed his thoughts away and slowly stood up. His muscles were stiff and sore. He'd been meditating nearly two weeks straight, and now he was paying the price for it. Ignoring that matter for now, he turned toward his home and began the short ten minute walk to where Inuyasha was.

* * *

Inuyasha pounded on the main entrance to the building (what looked like a giant door), shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hey Sesshomaru! Open up!" He yelled.

"Couldn't you be a little nicer about it?" Kagome asked. "And I don't think you need to shout like that. I'm sure he can hear you."

"Keh!" Inuyasha replied. "He's not even in there."

"How do you know?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha turned toward her and pointed to his nose.

"What exactly do you think this does?" He asked.

"Right. Sorry. I forgot." Kagome replied.

"Come on." Inuyasha said. "I'm pretty sure he's this way."

Without waiting for a reply, he began walking toward the lake, a few minutes west of Sesshomaru's home.

_'I wonder what he's doing out here so late.'_ Kagome wondered as she followed Inuyasha. _'It's almost midnight. Shouldn't he be asleep? Wait, do purebred demons sleep? At all? Ever?'_

Kagome remained lost in her random, tired thoughts for a few minutes before finally returning to reality. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized how far behind she'd fallen.

"I-Inuyasha!" She called as she took off in the direction he'd been walking. "Wait for me!"

* * *

"Jeez! It's about time you showed up!" Inuyasha said.

Sesshomaru blinked, but otherwise didn't reply. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I got a friend here who wanted to see you." Inuyasha replied, pointing backwards with his thumb over his shoulder.

Sesshomaru looked in the direction he was pointing and soon spotted a young woman running toward them. It took a him a moment to recognize her. He quickly looked back at Inuyasha, checking for confirmation. Inuyasha just nodded. It really was her. Sesshomaru looked back in her direction. He wasn't quite sure how to react to this.

_'How did she even get here...?'_ He wondered tiredly.

He was still trying to wake up fully after being in a meditative state for so long.

_'The barrier must be weakening. Which means...'_

Their gazes locked and she slowed to a stop.

_'It's not ever yet.'_


	13. Sleeping Over

_'Sesshomaru...'_

Kagome completely froze when their gazes met. She was immediately struck by how tired he looked. Inuyasha didn't even seem to notice, not that that was anything new. He never was very attentive... She pushed that thought away, forcing herself to stay focused on the real world. She walked closer to the two of them, and Sesshomaru watched her as she did so. She smiled brightly a him, and there was a brief moment of silence before he spoke.

"Why did you want to see me?" He asked.

His voice was soft, and for a moment, she wasn't even sure if he'd actually spoken. Maybe she just imagined it... But she knew she hadn't. She'd seen him speak. She once again pushed her thoughts away and answered his question as truthfully as she could.

"Well, I've had a chance to see most of my other friends, and I wanted to see you again too." She replied.

While it wasn't exactly a lie, she knew that she hadn't told him everything. Because, honestly, she _didn't_ know why she'd wanted to see him. She just... did.

Sesshomaru studied her, trying to figure out what she was thinking about. After another period of extended silence, Inuyasha spoke up.

"Hey, can we go inside?" He asked. "I'm beat."

Sesshomaru looked away from Kagome and nodded. Without a word, he led the way to his home and through the main entrance. From there, he led the way to the two small guest rooms upstairs. While they were walking, Kagome spoke.

"Why does this place look like a castle on the outside? Or... You know, a fortress?" She asked.

"Because it basically _is_ a fortress." Inuyasha replied.

"Why?"

"'Cause otherwise those creatures I told you about could break in."

"Oh."

There was silence for a moment. Then Kagome though of yet another question.

"So wait, why do they only stay in the mountains?" She asked. "Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"I don't know." Inuyasha replied.

He looked to Sesshomaru.

"Any ideas?"

Sesshomaru just shrugged.

"Hang on, if they stay in the mountains, then why does this place need to be like this?" Kagome asked.

"A precaution." Sesshomaru replied simply.

He really wished she'd stop asking so many questions. He was tired, and her endless question were starting to get to him. He wasn't sure how much more chatter he could take. After he got some sleep he was sure he'd be fine, but right now he felt his patience wearing a bit thin. Inuyasha seemed to sense this, and, thankfully, began distracting her by telling her some story about their friends Miroku and Sango after the well had closed.

"Fourteen kids?!" Kagome exclaimed in shock.

Inuyasha nodded.

"Poor Sango..." Kagome murmured sympathetically.

"Uh-huh." Inuyasha replied. "She made him change _all_ the diapers."

Kagome laughed a bit.

"Yeah... That sounds like something she would do." She said.

Almost as soon as she finished her sentence, they arrived at the guest rooms. Inuyasha called the one to the left and disappeared inside without saying goodnight. Kagome was about to go inside when she suddenly stopped and turned around. Sesshomaru was walking farther down the hall and she called out to him. He stopped and turned around.

"Thank you." She said. "For letting us stay here."

He studied her for a moment before slowly nodding and then continuing on his way down the hall. Kagome smiled at his retreating form before going into her room and going to bed.


	14. Questions

**By the way, I've changed my mind, and Inuyasha and Kagome were in a bit of a light romance before.**

Sesshomaru was meditating again (apparently he hadn't learned his lesson from last time) when the sun finally began to rise. He felt much better today than he had the night before. He'd gotten more than his usual two to three hours of sleep, leaving him feeling refreshed and ready for the day. More or less. When sunlight began to fill his room, he finally opened his eyes and got up. He pushed aside some long curtains with his hand and walked back into his room from where he'd been on the balcony. When he got back into his room, he went to the door and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Inuyasha and Kagome where already up. He could hear them talking downstairs. Without a sound, he walked down the hall and headed down the stairs.

"Let me get this straight. You're in _coll__ege _now?"

"Uh-huh."

"And your family is _rich_?"

"Uh-huh."

"And _you're_ the reason they're rich?"

"Uh-huh."

"And yet you're living in an apartment."

"Yup."

"Wow."

"Yup."

"Still battling those "test" demons?"

"I told you before, they're not demons, and I don't battle them. But yes, I still have to to tests."

"If they're not demons, then what are they?"

"You know what exams are, right?"

"Yeah. Like seeing how strong someone is and stuff."

"Good, so I _did_ manage to teach you something."

"So?"

"Tests are basically exams where you have to write the answers."

"Oh. I think I get it now."

"And even if they were demons, they'd be pretty easy to beat. They're made out of paper."

Inuyasha was about to say something when Kagome's face broke out into a smile and she cut him off.

"Good morning!" She said, obviously talking to Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha turned and saw his brother coming down the stairs. He nodded slightly at Kagome before heading off into another room. Before Kagome had a chance to say anything, Inuyasha jumped to his feet and ran after him shouting "FOOD!" at the top of his lungs. Kagome bit back a laugh and quickly followed them. Before long, they were all sitting at a nice wooden table in what appeared to be a dining room eating. Kagome had made her own breakfast, and Sesshomaru had made his own as well. However, he ended up having to make something for Inuyasha as well, since Inuyasha apparently had no idea how to cook. When they were done eating, Inuyasha went got up.

"Hey, is it alright if I use the training area? I'm getting kinda rusty." He asked.

Sesshomaru just nodded.

"Thanks." Inuyasha said before heading outside.

Sesshomaru started to get up and go somewhere too, but she quickly stopped him.

"Wait! Please don't go." She said. "I'd really like to talk to you."

He hesitated a moment, not really sure if he wanted to.

"Please?" She asked, her voice and eyes hopeful.

He sighed softly and sat down, relenting. He just couldn't say no. Not to her. He silently cursed Inuyasha, hating the fact that his brother had left him alone with her. Inuyasha was the only one that knew, and it seemed like he was purposefully using it against him. Forcing himself to stay focused, he looked at her expectantly. He couldn't help but wonder why she wanted to talk to him so badly.

"Is... it alright if I ask you some questions?" She asked, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

She didn't know why, but for some reason, there were butterflies in her stomach, and she was feeling very nervous and self-conscious. After a brief moment, he nodded.

"It's about the barrier. My first question, I mean." She stammered.

He continued to look at her expectantly, waiting for her question.

"Who created it?" She asked.

He blinked and answered without hesitation. Why had no one told her? It wasn't like it was some big secret...

"I did." He said simply.

Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Really?!" She exclaimed.

He nodded.

"No way! How did you do it?" She asked.

He sighed softly.

"I'm not sure I can explain it." He said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"It's complicated... The ability that allowed me to create it was something I inherited from my father. The rest of it isn't so simple to explain." He said.

"Oh." She said, feeling a little disappointed.

She'd been hoping for an explanation of sorts, but she knew that if he said it was hard to explain that it really must be. She knew him. To a certain extent, anyway. She knew that he never lied. She knew that he was extremely intelligent, wise far beyond his years. If he of all people couldn't explain it, then it really _was_ complicated. After a brief moment, she got over her disappointment and asked another question.

"Why do you live here by yourself?" She asked. "Why don't you live in the village with Inuyasha and the others?"

"I prefer to be alone." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"I'm used to it." He replied, shrugging lightly.

"How can you be used to it?" She asked. "Didn't you grow up in some castle or something? You're parents were the Lord and Lady, weren't they?"

He nodded.

"Yes, but my mother threw me away when I was an infant. I grew up north in the wilderness." He said.

"That's awful..." She murmured.

He didn't reply.

"If you grew up in the wilderness, how did you meet your father?" She asked.

"I don't remember." He said slowly, frowning slightly. "All I know is that I was around seventeen in your years when it happened."

"Oh." She said.

Without warning, she launched into her next question.

"So how old are you now in my years?" She asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Nineteen." He said.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" She said, her eyes wide. "You should be older than that, shouldn't you?"

"Yes, but I've stopped aging." He replied.

Her eyes went wide.

"Stopped aging?" She asked. "Is that even possible?"

"It's rare, but it does happen among individuals in certain races of demons." He said.

"I guess you're lucky, then." She said. "You never have to worry about dying of old age. Though even if you did, you'd still live for a long time, huh?"

He nodded.

"So how have you been? Since the war, I mean. You didn't get hurt, did you?" She asked.

"I did, but I'm fine now." He said.

He cursed the fact that she was showing so much concern for him. It was making his heart pound, making him get distracted. He was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation, and he had to force himself not to look into her eyes. He kept getting so lost in them... Instead, he looked at her forehead. She didn't even seem to notice. She continued talking, completely oblivious of his slight distraction.

"That's good." She said with a smile, making his heart pound a bit harder, a bit faster.

As much as he missed living in the Feudal Era, the one thing he didn't miss was having to deal with _this_ every time he saw her. He sighed inwardly. How much longer was it going to be before it was over? He just wished he could be left alone again. Another reason he lived alone was so he'd never fall in love again. Never feel the pain of heartbreak ever again. It was a pain he couldn't take, and he'd had to deal with it every time he saw her and Inuyasha together back then. Even though she and Inuyasha had never gotten together, he was certain she had a boyfriend or something by now. She definitely smelled like it. The was an unfamiliar human male's scent on her, and it made him seethe inwardly with jealousy. He pushed the horrible feeling away, not wanting to feel it. He focused himself on her words, willing himself not think about anything else.

"So if you're the one that put up the barrier, then I'm guessing you're the one who united everyone and became the leader." She said.

He nodded.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." She said. "You're exactly the right kind of person to lead them."

He blinked in surprise.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Because I know you." She said. "To an extent, anyway. You're more of a leader than you let on."

She could tell that he didn't really agree. And honestly, he didn't. Being the leader had been hell for him. Next to no one actually listened to him for the longest time, and not only that, trying to bring everyone together like he had... It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Kagome continued to talk and ask questions for a while before their conversation came to an abrupt halt. They heard Inuyasha yell from somewhere just outside. Seconds later, there was a menacing howl, quickly followed by hundreds of others. Kagome's eyes widened as realization dawned on her.

_'The creatures... They've left the mountains...'_


	15. Good Night

Sesshomaru swore under his breath and they both raced outside. Almost as soon as the door was open, Inuyasha ran in. At first, Kagome was shocked beyond belief that he was running away. It wasn't until she actually got outside that she realized why. They were so many of them... There were at _least_ a few hundred of them. And his sword clearly hadn't done any damage.

**FLASHBACK**

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked in surprise.

Myoga nodded.

"Does he live here in the sanctuary?" She asked.

"Yeah." Inuyasha said. "But he doesn't live near here."

"Oh. Where _does_ he live?"

"He lives in a valley in the middle of a mountain range. The mountains surround it on all sides, forming a near perfect circle. There's a crystal clear lake there, many different blossoming trees and flowers that glow in the moonlight... It truly is a beautiful place." Myoga replied.

"You've been there?" She asked.

"Yes, but only once. It was soon after the barrier had been sealed shut right after the war had ended." He replied.

"Does he live alone?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, no one else can handle that area." Inuyasha said.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"There are some monsterous creatures in those mountains. No one knows what they are or where they came from." Myoga said. "Those mountains seem to be the only place in danger of them."

**END FLASHBACK**

_'This is bad... Only Sesshomaru can fight these things...'_ She thought.

_'I wish I had my bow...'_

Sesshomaru stood there in the doorway, completely frozen, his eyes locked on something in the distance. After a moment, Inuyasha noticed it, too. His eyes widened in shock, and he too froze where he was standing. Kagome looked back and forth between them before turning her attention to the horizon. She squinted, trying hard to see what they were seeing. Alas, it was to no avail. She wasn't a demon, therefore she could only dream of being able to see that far.

"What is it?" She asked quietly. "What do you see?"

"Rahul." Inuyasha practically snarled.

"Who?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"The leader of the Okugi." Sesshomaru answered, his voice taking on a cold edge that she hadn't heard since the Feudal Era, back when they'd first met.

Without another word, he walked outside. He barely walked twenty feet before a dark, menacing man appeared in front of him. The creatures cowered in fear and backed away from the man before launching an all out retreat back into the mountains.

"So nice to finally see you again, Sesshomaru." Rahul said with mock friendliness.

Sesshomaru didn't reply, his face and eyes emotionless, unreadable.

"What do you want?" He asked after a moment.

"And how the hell are you alive?!" Inuyasha demanded from where he stood a little ways back.

"Ah, so you survived, little pup." Rahul said.

"I ain't little!"

"No matter." Rahul continued, seeming not to have heard Inuyasha's reply. "You'll all be dead soon enough."

He turned his attention back to Sesshomaru.

"I came to deliver a message. You see, I am not the _supreme _ruler of my people. There _is_ someone above me, and he has a little something he wanted to say to you."

Sesshomaru blinked, but said nothing. He'd suspected there was someone else. They way Rahul had acted before, the way he'd led the Okugi... Like he was being told what to do at every turn. He'd definitely had suspicions, but he'd never had any definitive proof. Until now.

"He says 'good night." Rahul said.

Suddenly, he was gone and the entire world seemed to become engulfed in a bright white light. Sesshomaru felt horrible, excruciating pain throughout his entire body, then everything went black. Moments later, Inuyasha blacked out as well. Kagome wasn't affected for some reason. Rahul reappeared and turned his attention to her.

"So I was right, then. You _are _a human." He said.

"What did you do?!" Kagome demanded. "And why did you spare me?!"

"You'll find out what I did soon enough, little girl." Rahul replied with a grin. "As for why you were spared, the answer's simple. You're not a demon."

Kagome struggled to find a reply. Some kind of taunt, or retort, or _something_. But her mind was far too focused on her friends, lying unconscious on the ground. Before Kagome had a chance to come up with anything, he spoke again.

"Until next time, my little priestess."

He disappeared again, and this time, he didn't return. Not wasting any time, Kagome ran over to Inuyasha, who happened to be closer to her than Sesshomaru was. He was already starting to regain consciousness.

_'He must not have been badly affected either, since he's only half demon...'_

She shook him gently and said his name a few times, trying to wake up. He sat up after a moment and looked around a bit groggily.

"What happened...?" He asked.

"You blacked out." She said.

"Because of the weird light attack thing?" He asked.

"I think so." She replied.

"Shit." Inuyasha said, getting to his feet and running over to Sesshomaru.

He shook him hard. He yelled his name. Once. Twice. Three times. He swore under his breath.

After about ten minutes, they had him on the laying down on the couch in the living room where they'd been talking earlier. It had been easy to move him. He was surprisingly lightweight.

"Kagome, can you stay here, please?" Inuyasha asked urgently.

The fact that he'd used the word "please" told her just how serious this was.

"Okay." She said. "What about you?"

"I have to go back to the village and get Myoga, Shippo, and someone else." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"I'll explain it when I get back!" He said quickly. "I have to hurry!"

"Okay, go!" She said, shooing him out the door.

Whatever was happening, it was obviously very serious. She just hoped everything would turn out okay.


	16. The Heaven's Light

Kagome wished Inuyasha would hurry. Three days had already passed, and Sesshomaru was beginning to look pale. What was worse, he hadn't regained consciousness yet. Not once. She'd tried to wake him up, but he was completely unresponsive. Not only that, but she was pretty sure he had a fever.

_'What kind of attack was that?'_ She wondered. _'Was it some kind of poison? No... He's immune to poison. So what else could it be__...?'_

By the time night fell again, she was positive that he had a fever. And it was getting worse. His temperature was rising fast, and the only things she had to combat it were a wet rag and a blanket. They didn't seem to be doing any good.

_'Inuyasha, what's taking you so long?'_

She hoped he was okay. It hadn't taken this long to get here before. Only two days.

_'But then again, he _is_ making a round trip... So... He _should_ be here by sometime tomorrow, right? If he's not, then what am I supposed to do?'_

With a heavy sigh, she went to check on Sesshomaru again before sitting in one of the large cushioned chairs and drifting off into a light sleep. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep when she was suddenly startled awake by a loud noise. It was coming from outside. She looked over at the couch, and was slightly relieved when she saw that Sesshomaru was still there. Her relief quickly faded when she realized just how pale he was now. His breaths were quick and shallow, and she could feel the intense heat from his fever radiating off of him in waves. She was just about to grab the rag so she could get it wet again when she heard the noise from outside again. She hesitated for a long moment before slowly approaching the front door. She quietly unlocked it and, as silently as she could, opened it up enough that she could see out of it with one eye. She didn't see anything. Confused, she started to close the door. Then she heard it again, only this time, it was closer. She opened the door once more, listening intently. Her confusion intensified when she realized she could hear two male voices.

"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong!" The first voice said.

"Let's see _you_ do it, smarty pants!" The second voice said angrily.

"Fine! Give it here!" The first voice replied.

There was silence for a moment.

"You have to swing it like this. See?" The first voice said.

There was the loud noise again. Only this time, it was different. More like an explosion rather than a bang. She could feel vibrations racing through the ground, but although the outside world shook with the force of the explosion, the house remained perfectly steady.

"Let me try!" The second voice said.

There was more silence for a few moments before another explosion sounded.

"Like that?" The second voice asked.

"Exactly. Now come on. This might be our only chance." The first voice replied seriously.

"Right. Oooh, I can hardly wait!" The second voice said excitedly.

"Me neither." The first voice agreed.

"Alone and completely defenseless... The perfect target." The second voice said.

"And an easy kill." The first voice agreed.

_'They're not talking about Sesshomaru, are they?'_ Kagome wondered.

Immediately, she shut and locked the door. She ran to a back door, unlocked it, and ran outside to the training area that was nearby, hoping, _pray__ing_ there were weapons. More specifically, a bow. She inwardly cheered when she saw a bow with a full sheath of arrows leaning against a small weapon rack.

_'The gods have hearts after all...'_ She thought as she grabbed them and ran back inside.

She shut and locked the door again before running back to the living room. She crouched near the couch where Sesshomaru still lay unconscious, loaded her bow, and waited. Several minutes passed. Nothing happened. Then all at once, the house began to shake. She heard an explosion, soon followed by another, then another. Kagome's eyes widened.

_'They're attacking the house!'_

Before either of them got in, she heard a very familiar yell.

"WIND SCAR!"

"Thank god... Inuyasha..." She murmured in immense relief.

She wanted to go out and help him, but she was afraid to leave Sesshomaru. She heard what sounded like swords clashing, and she ran to the door. She unlocked it again and opened it. She could see the whole fight. She had high hopes that Inuyasha would win, but he was outnumbered. Just then, reinforcements came.

"Fox fire!"

One of the strangers was engulfed in very familiar blue flames. He screamed in agony as the flames quickly began to devour him. It was clear that Shippo had greatly improved since the Feudal Era. Then the unthinkable happened. The strangers cloned themselves. Now there were _four_ of them, and the two new ones weren't hurt. Then the clones made clones, then _those_ clones made clones. It continued on and on for endless minutes until suddenly, there were close to a hundred of them.

_'Oh no... This is bad...'_ Kagome thought.

Just as she was about to jump in and help, a third person attacked.

"Mystic flare!"

Instantly, bright blast happened, wiping out all the clones and their creators with ease. Inuyasha sheathed his sword and Shippo straightened out of his battle stance.

"You really shouldn't use that attack so carelessly, you know." Shippo said. "It uses too much energy."

An unfamiliar man appeared from somewhere she couldn't see. He raised an eyebrow at Shippo.

"Unless I'm mistaken, our goal was defeat them quickly, was it not?" He replied.

"Keh! Whatever! You guys can discuss this later! Let's go!" Inuyasha said.

They both nodded and quickly ran inside. The unfamiliar man went straight to the couch while Shippo looked around in awe of the place. Inuyasha quickly walked over to Kagome.

"How is he?" He asked quietly, his eyes filled with worry.

She looked over to Sesshomaru, who still seemed to be struggling to breathe.

"Not good... He spiked a fever last night, and when I woke up earlier he was having a hard time breathing." She replied, turning to look at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, just what was that attack?"

"It's called The Heaven's Light." Answered the unfamiliar man. "It's some kind of magic attack that the Okugi developed late into the war. They developed it specifically to target demons. The stronger ones, to be more precise. Have you ever heard the saying 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'?"

Kagome nodded.

"It's the same sort of concept here. The stronger the demon, the quicker they die."

"That's awful..." Kagome said.

"But there's a catch."

"A catch?"

The man nodded.

"You see, if someone where to survive it, they would develop a sort of an immunity to it. It might still knock them out, but they's no longer be in any danger of dying from it."

"How do you know this?"

"Because I survived it." Inuyasha said, speaking up.

"_You_? You mean they...?" Kagome started to say, her voice trailing off.

He nodded.

"It nearly put me in a coma, but I survived." Inuyasha said.

He looked over at his brother.

"But I was lucky." He added quietly. "Next to no one survives it."

"And you think he can help somehow?" Kagome asked, glancing to the man.

Inuyasha nodded.

"He's a master of magic. A sorcerer, I guess you could say. He might be able to figure something out." He said. "It's our best hope."

At least an hour, possibly two, passed. Finally, the man spoke up again.

"Well, I have some good news." He said, going over into the dining room where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo were seated.

"What's that?" Shippo asked.

"First of all, I think he'll live. Almost certain of the fact."

The tension in the air instantly faded and a wave of relief washed over everyone.

"Thank goodness..." Kagome sighed with relief.

"But I'm afraid I have some bad news, too." The man said.

"Bad? How bad?" She asked worriedly.

"Why don't you come and see?" The man offered quietly.

Everyone stood up and walked over to the couch. Their eyes widened and Kagome gasped. On the couch lay a small child. As if unsure that any of this was real, Kagome reached out and gently brushed his bangs out of his face with her fingertips. She slowly pulled her hand away and turned to the man.

"How did this happen?" She asked.

"The attack has different lingering effects on everyone." The man replied.

"It turned me into a human for a solid two months." Inuyasha said.

"I heard it aged a little girl by sixteen years once." Shippo added.

"Is this permanent?" Kagome asked.

"There's no way of knowing." The man replied. "Only time will tell."

"So is he a child mentally too? Or just physically?" Shippo asked.

"Again, only time will tell." The man replied, genuinely seeming not to know.

After about twenty more minutes of discussion, the man finally bid them farewell. He had to get going. He had a family to take care of. Soon after he left, Inuyasha and Shippo went up to bed. Kagome, however, stayed by the couch, watching the peaceful, angelic face of the sleeping child in front of her.

* * *

"We're on the brink of war and you let something like _this_ happen?! We can't afford to lose anymore allies!"

"I'm sorry sir! We had no idea! We didn't know they were there!"

"The barrier's weakening! There are gaps appearing everywhere now because you let them turn him into a weak little _child_! Now there's no telling how many of them will be able to get through!"

"I'm sorry, sir..."

"Just fix this mess before we lose anyone else!"

"Yes sir!"


	17. Dreams

Kagome woke up to the sound of movement nearby. She stretched a little, muscles stiff from sleeping in a chair again, and opened her eyes. They widened at what she saw. Sesshomaru was waking up. He sat straight up and looked around in confusion. She immediately realized something. He couldn't _see_. Instead of trying to see, he was scenting the air and listening, trying to determine where he was. She moved slightly, debating whether or not it was wise to approach him yet. He was so tense, and there was no guarantee that he remembered who she was. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and moved toward him. He was facing her, eyes looking in her general direction, but not directly at her. They weren't the same golden eyes that she remembered. They were white now, but otherwise looked the same. She kneeled by the couch, making sure to give him some space.

"Sesshomaru?" She asked.

He immediately seemed confused. Like he had no idea how she knew his name. Swallowing hard, she continued.

"My name is Kagome. I'm not an enemy." She said, deciding to start at the beginning. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

He hesitated for a long moment before shaking his head.

"Okay." She replied with a smile. "First of all, how old are you?"

"Seven." Came the barely audible response.

His voice was so soft... Softer than she'd ever heard.

"In my years?" She asked.

He nodded. Apparently he recognized the fact that she was a human. Good. That was one less thing for her to explain.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked.

He obviously had some memories, though only from this age and younger it seemed. Still, it was better than nothing. He seemed to think for a minute before shrugging.

"You can tell me." She said. "I'm not an enemy. I'm your friend."

He looked in her direction again, his head tilting to the side slightly.

"What's that?" He asked.

She was shocked. He really seemed to have no idea what a friend was. Was it possible that he'd never had a friend before? That he'd never heard the word before? She didn't know. Before she had the chance to answer, there was a loud noise from outside. Suddenly, she found herself waking up in the chair again. It was still night out. Sesshomaru was still on the couch. She blinked. She'd been dreaming? With a soft sigh, she resituated before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. Before long, she started dreaming again.

_"Where am I?" She asked as she looked around._

_Her face brightened as a wide smile spread across her face._

_"What a pretty meadow..." She murmured. _

_The grass was long and soft, and there were many brightly colored flowers as far as the eye could see. There were a few lush tree nearby, and she was certain she could see a lake in the distance. It was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen. Laughing like a child, she spread her arms out wide and ran around in circles through the flowers. She ran and ran until she grew dizzy and nearly fell into the soft grass. She stopped running and continued to laugh a bit. The last time she'd done something so fun and childish was when she was little and her mother had taken her to the park. It was a wonderful feeling to let loose like this._

_"I'm glad to see you're having fun." Said a voice behind her._

_She immediately stopped laughing and turned around. It took her a moment to recognize the man standing there._

_"Lord Toga..." She murmured._

_He nodded, smiling a bit. It was a warm, friendly smile, and she soon found herself relaxing at the sight of it._

_"May we talk?" He asked. _

_"Sure..." She said hesitantly. "What about?"_

_He gestured for her to follow him._

_"Come. Let's find a place to sit first." He said._

_She followed him for a few minutes before they stopped under a nice, shady tree. He sat down, back against the trunk, and sat down a few feet in front of him._

_"I have a few important things to discuss with you." He said. _

_"Important?" She asked. "How important?"_

_"Very." He answered. "But I'm going to have to start from the beginning. Are you ready?"_

_She got comfortable and then nodded. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak._

_"You've heard about the war with the Okugi, correct?" He asked._

_She nodded._

_"Good. Now let me ask you another question. When you arrived in the sanctuary, you were able to pass through barrier without being harmed or killed. Is this also true?" He said._

_She nodded, not really knowing where he was going with this._

_"But _how_ did you manage to get through the barrier?" He asked, raising a single eyebrow at her in question._

_"Inuyasha said the barrier had no reason to reject me." She said._

_He shook his head._

_"While this may be true, you still shouldn't have been able to get through. Only demons should be able to enter. You read that in your book, remember?" He asked._

_She nodded._

_"There were gaps. Holes, if you will, appearing in the barrier at the time. And now, with Sesshomaru as he is now, the barrier is going to fall apart completely in a matter of days." He said seriously._

_She swallowed hard, fearing for her friends and everyone else living there. Soon, they would all be in danger._

_"But how did the Okugi know where to find him?" He asked seriously. "How did they know how to take him down? And more importantly, how did they get into the sanctuary to begin with?" He asked._

_"You said there were gaps." Kagome replied._

_"True, but that shouldn't have been enough for _them_ to get in." He said._

_"So... Someone helped them?" She asked, her voice heavy with uncertainty._

_Without answering her question, he stood up and began to walk away._

_"Wait! Where are you going?" She called after him, also getting to her feet. "I still need help! I don't know what to do!"_

_"Just know who your enemies are. Your _real_ enemies." He said over his shoulder as he faded away into nothing._


	18. Back to the Village

"Hey! Kagome! Wake up!"

Kagome's eyes blinked open and she looked tiredly at the person shaking her.

"Inuyasha...? What's the matter?" She asked.

She glanced at the couch and sat straight up.

"Where's Sesshomaru?" She asked worriedly.

"Relax. He's fine." Inuyasha said.

"Where is he?" Kagome repeated.

"He's upstairs. Shippo trying to entertain him or something." Inuyasha replied.

"Is that why you woke me up?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Yeah. Well, I mean, there's that... And I'm hungry." He said, ears flattening slightly.

She sighed.

"Shippo can't cook?" She asked in slight annoyance.

"He can, but he won't." Inuyasha replied. "And like I said, he's entertaining the brat."

"Don't call him that." Kagome said, crossing her arms and frowning at him.

"All kids are brats." Inuyasha said.

"Quit saying mean things about kids or I won't make you any food." Kagome said seriously.

"But-"

"No buts."

"But-"

"I said no buts!"

There was silence for a moment. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine..." He said, reluctantly giving.

Giving a satisfied nod, Kagome led the way into the kitchen. When she was done making food for everyone, she went upstairs to find Shippo and Sesshomaru. She found Shippo first. He came bounding out of one of the rooms, yelling something about food. He ran past her full speed and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess some things never change, no matter _how_ old you are." She said.

Still smiling a bit, she walked into the room Shippo had just come from. A very little Sesshomaru was still in there, sitting on the ground and playing with Shippo's old toy horse he used to use for fox magic. He looked up at her when she came in and let go of the horse, seeming to forget about it. He made a little noise and began succking on his right fist. She couldn't help but smile wider at him. He was so cute! And suddenly, she realized something. He was actually younger than she'd originally thought. Too little to have even started walking. Let alone alone talk. It was possible that he could say a few words, but she wasn't sure. She walked over to him and he lifted his hands into the air, clearly wanting to be picked up. She continued to smile and lifted him into her arms. He was very easy to pick up.

_'I guess he'd always been light.'_ She thought.

He immediately began sucking on his fist again while his other tiny hand gripped her shirt.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go get you some food." She said as she started to walk out of the room.

She just hoped that Inuyasha and Shippo had left some food. She was thankful that they did. There was enough food left for both her and Sesshomaru. She went back into the kitchen for a moment and grabbed a small spoon so she could feed him before going back to the dining room and sitting.

"These eggs are _good_!" Shippo exclaimed. "You should cook more often, Kagome!"

"You think so?" Kagome asked, laughing lightly.

He nodded eagerly before quickly resuming his meal. About twenty minutes later, everyone was done eating. She'd even managed to get Sesshomaru to eat some. But if there was on thing she knew about him, it was that, unlike his brother, he didn't usually eat much. Or that often for that matter. When they were done eating, she told the others about the conversation she'd had with Toga during the night.

"So now what do we do?" She asked. :If the barrier really is falling apart, the remaing Okugi are going to be able to get back in, meaning the ones that already somehow got here will have reinforcements."

"Yeah... Damn this is bad..." Inuyasha muttered.

"I don't get it." Shippo said. "How did they survive? Sesshomaru obliterated them. We all saw it!"

Inuyasha shook his head slowly.

"I don't know... But it doesn't really matter right now. All that matters is figuring out a way to defeat them for _good_ this time. Any ideas, anyone?"

Kagome and Shippo both shook their heads.

"Shit. Mean neither." Inuyasha said.

"Don't swear in front of him!" Kagome protested, glancing at the child in her arms.

"What's it matter? He learned howto swear before, didn't he?" Inuyasha said, clearly unconcerned.

Kagome huffed but said nothing. After about twenty more minutes of discussion, they were still unable to come up with any kind of a plan. Deciding that it they'd dicuss it again later, everyone went off to do their own thing. Kagome went around the house, gathering some of Sesshomaru's things. The only thing that they'd agreed on was that they should return to the village. She grabbed Bakusaiga, a small medical kit, and some old locked locked box from in his room. It obviously held some kind of importance to him, otherwise she didn't think he would've kept it, let alone locked it away in a box.

"Would you have wanted this?" She asked the child sitting on the bed.

He made a noise that could only be described as a sort of hiccup and she smiled at him before continuing what she was doing.


	19. Entertain Him

"What the hell is in this thing anyway?" Inuyasha asked.

They were back at the village now, sitting in his house. Kagome was holding Sesshomaru in her lap as he played with a toy she'd given him. Shippo was sitting on the couch next to Inuyasha being bored while Inuyasha examined the box Kagome had grabbed from Sesshomaru's room before.

"I don't know." She replied. "Obviously it's important if he locked it away."

"Where did you find it?" Shippo asked, looking at the box.

"In his room." She said nonchalantly.

They both stared at her.

"What?" She asked somewhat defensively, looking up from the tiny child in her arms.

"No one's allowed in his room." Inuyasha said. "It's like the _only_ place that's off-limits."

"Why?"

"I dunno. It just is."

"Surely there must be _some_ reason."

"And if there is, I doubt he'll ever tell anyone."

"What makes you so sure?"

"This _is_ Sesshomaru we're talking about, you know."

"I know."

"Then there's your answer."

Kagome huffed, but otherwise didn't reply. She wasn't in the mood to argue with him, especially not with a child in the room. She watched him play for a few minutes before speaking again.

"So how are we going to change him back?" She asked.

"I don't know." Inuyasha replied, also watching his brother play.

"Well, if it's temporary like Inuyasha's change was, it'll wear off on its own. Otherwise, we'll have to find some other way." Shippo said.

"How can we tell if it's temporary?" Kagome asked.

"If it's temporary, it'll wear off in a few months. Six, at the very most." Inuyasha replied.

"But we cant's wait that long!" Kagome protested. "The war-!"

"I know, I know! But we don't have any other way!" Inuyasha said in frustration.

"Or maybe… Just maybe… We do." Shippo said thoughtfully.

"What're you talkin' about?" Inuyasha asked.

Shippo didn't reply. He seemed to be deep in thought. A few minutes later, he stood up and raced out the door.

"Hey, where're _you_ goin'?!" Inuyasha yelled after him, also standing up.

"I'll be right back!" Shippo called over his shoulder as he disappeared outside.

Inuyasha huffed, thrusting his arms into his sleeves, and sat back down on the couch. He looked down at his brother.

"_Now_ what're we supposed to do?" He asked.

Kagome smiled.

"Entertain him." She said, lifting Sesshomaru up from behind, her hands under his arms, so that they were looking each other in the eyes.

Sesshomaru sucked on his fist and blinked, looking at his brother innocently.

"I ain't playin' with no stinkin' brat!" Inuyasha said defiantly.

"Oh come _on_, Inuyasha! What in the world has he done to you? Huh?" Kagome demanded.

Silence.

"_Well_?"

Inuyasha sighed.

"Nothin'."

Kagome smiled again.

"Exactly!"

She set Sesshhomaru down on the couch next to him and stood up.

"Now play with him for a little while, will you?"

"But-"

"No buts! If you want food, you'll have to entertain him. I can't play with him and cook at the same time."

Inuyasha sighed again.

"Fine…"

Kagome walked into the kitchen and he looked at his brother. Sesshomaru was still sitting there next to him, sucking on his fist still and playing with whatever weird toy Kagome had given him.

"I guess I gotta play with you for a bit, huh ya little brat?"

Sesshomaru looked up at him, his eyes wide and innocent, clearly not understanding anything Inuyasha had said. Inuyasha sighed and picked him up before standing and carrying him into another room.

"Come on. I've got better toys for you to play with."

**A/N Sorry it's so horribly short... I was being rushed by my sister to play a game with her... Later!**


End file.
